Worth It
by ilovefood13
Summary: Rosalie Hale is the star basketball player at her high school, and Emmett McCarty is willing to do anything to get her attention- even try out for the team. But basketball isn't as easy as he thought. Will Emmett still think Rose is worth it in the end?
1. Prologue: At First Sight

**Prologue - At First Sight**

When Emmett McCarty saw her, it was love at first sight.

"Dude," he said, nudging his best friend, Edward Cullen, "who is that?"

Edward glanced up from his locker and followed Emmett's finger. He started laughing.

"That, my friend, is your worst nightmare."

"What are you talking about?" Emmett asked. "That girl is hot! Did you see her legs?"

"You should see her brother."

Emmett raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Edward, I'm pretty sure I'm bigger than any other guy at this school."

Edward shook his head and chuckled. "Em, there are a million and one reasons why Rosalie Hale is bad news. Her brother is only one of them." He shut his locker and the two boys started walking toward the parking lot.

"Rosalie? That's kind of an odd name."

"Dude, your name is Emmett."

Em shrugged. "Whatever. So what are these reason?"

"Well, ignoring the fact that her brother will castrate you if he sees you looking at her, she could easily kick your butt if she wanted."

"That won't be an issue once she falls in love with me," Emmett said confidently.

Edward rolled his eyes. "You know what, Emmett? Never mind. If you want to try to talk to Rosalie, then go ahead. Have at it."

Emmett grinned. "Oh, I will."


	2. Ch 1: Introductions

**Chapter 1 - Introductions**

Rosalie Hale was in her bedroom with her two best friends getting ready for the party when her brother stuck his head in.

"Hey Rose," Jasper said, "Where did the remote for the stereo go?"

Rosalie shrugged. "I don't know. Dad probably stuck it in a drawer again. Did you check under the counter?"

"Oh, good thinking." Jasper ducked out and returned to the party downstairs.

"Oh my gosh, Rosalie," Alice Brandon sighed, flopping down on Rose's bed. "Why is your brother _so _gorgeous?"

"Wow, Alice," Rose replied with a smile as she touched up her mascara. "Way to make me feel as awkward as possible."

"Oh, come on," Alice said, flipping over onto her stomach. "It's not like no one's ever told you how hot he is before. And besides, the whole identical twin thing means it's like a compliment for you, too."

"Uh, Alice," Bella Swan inserted, "they aren't identical."

Alice pouted. "But they look the same."

"Except for the fact that he's a guy and I'm definitely not," Rosalie argued.

"Whatever. That's besides the point anyway."

Bella and Rose laughed at their friend.

"Stop making fun of me." Alice stuck her tongue out and threw a pillow at her friends, missing both.

"Well, you did kinda ask for it," Bella said, "bringing up Jasper that way."

"Oh, so if you bring up Edward Cullen, then we can make fun of you too?" Alice arched an eyebrow at Bella, who was now blushing.

"But I didn't bring him up, so you can't say a thing."

"Alright, girls," Rosalie said, putting her hairbrush down. "Enough fighting. We are now officially fashionably late for the party. It's time to make an entrance."

"Why do we always do this?" Bella grumbled.

"Come on, Bells," Alice said, wrapping her arm around the reluctant girl. "You know you secretly love all of the attention."

"Yeah, you're right," she replied sarcastically. "I spend all my time scheming and trying to find ways to get _more _attention because my clumsiness doesn't get enough."

"I bet you wouldn't complain if Edward noticed you."

Bella rolled her eyes. "I make one comment about his eyes and suddenly you can't shut up about him. I never tease you about Jasper like that."

Alice rolled her eyes. "That's just because I've never tried to hide my feelings for him, and where's the fun in that?"

"You know," Rose interrupted, "I don't think he actually knows you like him, Alice. He can be very dense sometimes. Especially during basketball season."

Alice sighed. "Trust me, I am well aware of the fact that he doesn't notice me at all. But I'm gonna change that this year." The other two girls looked at her skeptically. "_After _basketball season," she clarified. "I'm not gonna waste my efforts when he obviously won't give me a second glance. I swear, Rose, it's so weird how your entire family has tunnel vision this time of the year."

Rose laughed. "You get used to it."

"Well, of course you say that. You're part of the problem, Miss MVP-two-years-in-a-row."

"I suppose one could argue that the Hale family can take competition to the extreme sometimes."

All three girls burst out laughing at this gross understatement. In fact, they were still grinning when they descended the stairs and entered the party.

* * *

Emmett loved parties, but so far this one was pretty boring. It was hosted by Jasper Hale, Rosalie's brother, but Em had yet to see her, and he was getting anxious.

He was talking with Edward when they heard laughter. They both turned, and Emmett swore his heart stopped in his chest.

Rosalie was coming down the stairs, flanked by two other girls, and she looked… beyond words. Emmett had never seen anyone so beautiful, with her head thrown back and her eyes twinkling from laughter. And he thought he'd fallen for her before.

"I have to meet her," he said, almost to himself, but Edward overheard.

"Dude, be careful," he warned. "She can be scary sometime."

Emmett ignored his friend and started moving toward his dream girl.

* * *

Bella sighed. "He is so gorgeous."

Both Alice and Rosalie looked around for Edward, laughing softly at their friend's obsession.

"And you wonder why we tease you?" Rose asked.

Bella pouted, but her sulking was cut short by Alice. "Looks like there's some fresh meat. Check out the muscle next to Cullen."

Rosalie followed her friend's gaze and her breath caught. The guy was _huge_, and Rose was used to big guys because of basketball.

"I've never seen anyone with so much… mass," Alice continued. "I wonder what his story is."

"He moved here second semester last year," Bella supplied. "He was in my history class."

Alice's eyebrows rose. "Oh, so he's smart, too? Interesting."

Rose scoffed. "He's probably just another meat-head."

Bella said, "He's actually really nice. And he does play football, but he's not stupid."

"I think you're making a premature judgment, Rose. Trying to hide your real feelings for him?" Alice asked, smirking.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "This is the first time I've ever seen him. How could I possibly already have feelings?"

"It's called love at first sight."

"You know I don't believe in that stuff," Rose replied.

"Neither did I, until I saw Edward," Bella argued.

"And he is pretty dreamy," Alice said, nodding toward the guy. "What's his name, anyway?"

"Emmett McCarty," Bella answered.

Alice wrinkled her nose. "A little outdated, perhaps, but it fits him. And hey, look, he's making his way over here."

Rosalie tried to leave, but her friends grabbed her arms.

"Oh, no," Bella said. "You are not ignoring him. You can't hate him before you even talk to him."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, but stayed put. When he was within fifteen feet, she turned on her icy stare. It never failed to deter people.

Emmett was almost to the group of girls when Rosalie fixed him with a glare that almost made him trip. He'd never even spoken to this girl. What possible reason could she have to hate him already? He recognized one of the other girls from his history class last year; maybe she'd said something. But he'd never done anything bad to the girl. He mentally shrugged and continued walking. After all, Emmett McCarty never backed down.

Rosalie started to panic when he kept walking toward them, but she never let it show. Who was this guy? And why did he look so determined?

"Hello, ladies," Emmett said casually once he was upon them. "My name is Emmett. I don't believe I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance." He waggled his eyebrows at Bella so she knew that he did recognize her, and he gave Rosalie a pointed look that almost made her want to blush.

"My name is Alice, and this is Bella and Rosalie." For once Rose didn't resent that Alice was automatically taking charge of the conversation because it allowed her to continue her glare.

"It's very nice to meet you," Emmett replied, allowing his gaze to linger on Rosalie. She was still glaring, but he ignored it. He'd just have to work harder to charm her. "I was just talking to my friend and I couldn't help but notice your beauty. I just had to come over and introduce myself." He grinned, and judging from their expressions, Bella and Alice already liked him. Rosalie, however, was another story altogether.

She was no longer even looking at him, and she looked disgusted with the whole conversation. As much as he hated to admit it, Emmett was a little hurt. What was her problem?

Alice noticed the look Emmett gave her friend, and she tried to make him feel included. "That friend of yours wouldn't happen to be Edward Cullen, would he?"

Bella glared at her friend even as the blood rushed to her cheeks. But she knew that Alice was trying to make Emmett, who clearly had already fallen for Rose, feel more comfortable. It wasn't the first time a nice guy had been harshly rejected, and the girls always tried to make it easier for them.

"Yeah, actually that's exactly who he is," Emmett replied, not taking his eyes off Rosalie, who still refused to look at him.

"Well, I happen to know a girl who really likes him," Alice hinted. "Do you have any juicy secrets that could help her?"

Emmett finally tore his gaze away from Rose to look at Alice, and then Bella. Bella's bright red face gave her away instantly, and Emmett smiled softly at her.

"He likes brunettes."

"Oh, come on." Alice nudged him with her shoulder. "Surely you can give us more than that."

Emmett shrugged. "I don't really know what kind of girl he likes. He hasn't dated anyone since I've moved here, and I guess we just don't really talk about it a lot."

Alice rolled her eyes. "You really expect us to believe that in the months since you've known him, Edward has never once said anything to you about girls? No locker room talk at all?"

Emmett smiled. "Well, he did say something about liking beautiful girls." He looked straight at Bella when he said this, and she blushed even harder, if it was possible.

Emmett wished he could help Bella more, but he really didn't know that much about Edward's love life; the topic just never really came up. But he made a mental note to ask his friend about it later. He owed these girls at least that much.

Suddenly, Rosalie walked away to yell at two guys who were messing with the stereo. Emmett's eyes followed her every move.

"You know," Bella said softly, placing a hand on Emmett's arm, "it's not personal. She just doesn't really like football players. She's more of a basketball girl."

"Basketball?"

"Yeah. She plays, and she's really good."

"I don't think she's ever dated anyone who didn't play," Alice interjected.

Emmett was disappointed. "Oh. Okay then." He started to walk away.

"Tryouts are on Tuesday," Bella called out after him. He stopped and turned around.

"What?"

"Basketball tryouts are on Tuesday."

"Bella, are you nuts?" Alice whispered.

"I've never played basketball," Emmett replied.

"At all?" Bella asked, surprised.

"Well, not since eighth grade. I had to quit so I could concentrate on football."

Bella smiled. "Our boys' team stinks. With your size, you'll make it for sure. I mean, you don't have to or anything, but if you really like Rosalie, it might be your best bet. Show her how dedicated you are and stuff."

"Hmm, maybe. I'll think about it. Thank you." He smiled at the two girls.

"No, thank _you_," Bella said, grinning.

"I'll see you two around." Emmett started leaving again.

"On Tuesday?" Alice asked.

"Maybe," he called over his shoulder.

Bella and Alice smiled at each other. Rosalie might have finally met her match.


	3. Ch 2: Tryouts

**Chapter 2 - Tryouts**

"You're doing what?"

"I'm gonna try out for the basketball team."

"Emmett, did you hit your head?" Edward asked. "You've never played before."

"That's not true," Emmet argued. "I played in seventh grade."

"Over three years ago!"

"The rules haven't changed, have they?"

Edward shook his head. "Em, you have a really good shot at a football scholarship if you work hard in the off-season. Why jeopardize that by playing basketball? What if you get hurt?"

"I'm not jeopardizing anything. Basketball can help me stay in shape. And besides, you play both. _And _baseball."

"And I don't have a chance at a scholarship in any of them. I'm just playing for fun."

"Well, I think basketball would be fun."

Edward narrowed his eyes. "Why are you really doing this?"

Emmett hesitated, then admitted softly, "Rosalie Hale likes basketball players."

"You have got to be kidding me." Edward paused and scrutinized his friend for a moment. "You're serious, aren't you?"

Emmett nodded earnestly and Edward rolled his eyes.

"Look, Edward, I'm doing this no matter what you say. I just wanted to know if you'll help me a little. Tryouts are Tuesday, and I'm a little rusty."

Edward sighed. "Yeah, fine, I'll help. But I'm not sure how you think playing basketball will make Rosalie like you more."

"Her friends said she only likes guys who play basketball."

"Yeah, but I don't think that applies if she's better than you."

"Hey! It's not like I never workout and stuff."

"Oh I know. I'm not saying you won't make the team, especially considering your height and the current talent we have. But being a benchwarmer isn't particularly impressive, especially to a two year MVP."

Emmett shrugged. "I'll just have to work hard then, won't I?"

Edward sighed and grabbed his cars keys. "I guess we should start practicing."

* * *

Emmett had never been so nervous in his life. Not the first time he asked a girl out, not during his first football game, not even during the CIF championship with college scouts watching. But this basketball tryout was freaking him out.

It had been a long time since he had played, not counting Edward's tutoring session the day before, and he was worried, despite his friend's assurances that he would make the team. Emmett had been confidant that his height would set him apart from the other guys; after all, he was a good three inches taller than Edward, who was pretty tall himself. But there were at least three other guys who were all the same height or taller, and close to as muscular.

"Hey, are you okay?" Edward asked. He had never seen Emmett look so panicked.

"Tell me again why I'm doing this."

Edward laughed. "Well, I'm not entirely sure, but I think it has something to do with a girl named Rosalie Hale."

Emmett nodded and took a deep breath. He pictured Rosalie in his mind and remembered what her friends had said. _It will be worth it_, he reminded himself. _I just need to relax and play_.

His internal prep talk done, Emmett grabbed a ball and started shooting around to get loose.

The coach blew his whistle and everyone gathered around.

"Alright everyone," he said. "My name is Coach Banner, and Jasper here is the varsity captain." He motioned to Jasper, who was standing next to him. "It's nice to see so many new faces here today, but remember that this is a tryout. Not all of you will make the team because we only have a few open spots. Alright, Hale, take 'em through warm-ups."

Jasper nodded. "Okay, everyone, we'll start with lay-ups on the right side. We need two lines at half-court and an outlet in the corner. More experienced players in the front."

The guys hustled to do as he said. Emmett was grateful that Edward had gone through some of the usual drills with him yesterday; he knew exactly what to do. Emmett caught the ball at half-court, took two dribbles, and shot a lay-up. It hit the upper-corner of the box on the backboard, then the rim, and bounced out.

_Shit_, he thought. _This is not a good start_. He jogged to the rebounding line.

Edward was in front of him in line. "Soft touch," he reminded Emmett. "You don't have to chuck it at the backboard." Emmett nodded, and before he knew it, it was his turn again.

His next shot bounced perfectly off the backboard and into the hoop. Edward gave him a high-five, and he smiled to himself. He was starting to enjoy this.

* * *

Rosalie was walking toward the gym on Tuesday after school when she saw Bella.

"Hey Bella!" she called out. "What are you still doing here?"

"I had to do some stuff for the school paper," Bella said, holding up her journalism notebook. "Hey, aren't you a little early for practice?"

"It's the boys' tryouts today," Rose explained. "I wanted to catch the end of it."

Bella smirked, and even though she tried to hide it, Rosalie saw her expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Rosalie demanded.

Bella smiled. "You'll see."

Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Hey guys!" Alice called as she skipped over to them.

"Hey, Al," Bella said.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"We're gonna go watch the end of the boys' basketball tryouts," Bella explained.

"Oh, I'll come with you."

"Don't you have cheer practice?" Rosalie asked.

"Nope," Alice replied. "It's already over."

"Are you sure you're not just coming to see my brother?" Rose asked with raised eyebrows.

Alice smirked. "Actually, I hear there are some pretty cute guys trying out today."

"Like who?" Rosalie asked.

"You'll see."

Rosalie stopped abruptly and turned to her friends. "Okay, what do you guys know that I don't?"

"Nothing," they said simultaneously. Rosalie eyed them warily, but decided to let it slide and walked into the gym.

The tryouts were winding down, and the guys were scrimmaging. Rosalie walked directly to her brother, who wasn't currently playing.

"So how's the team looking this year?" she asked.

Jasper turned to her with excited eyes. "Really good, Rose. _Really _good. We have a bunch of new guys who have a lot of talent. You know how they had to close the school on the reservation because of budget cuts? We got a lot of those guys, and we finally have some height on our team."

Rosalie watched the scrimmage, impressed with the new talent. There were definitely some giants out there, particularly one Native American guy that she recognized as Bella's friend and another guy who wasn't quite as tall, but definitely big. In fact, he looked vaguely familiar, but it took Rosalie a while to place his face.

"Is this what you two were giggling about?" Rosalie demanded of Alice and Bella, motioning toward the other big guy.

"What are you talking about?" Alice asked innocently. Bella didn't even hear her because she was too busy staring at Edward.

"You knew he was going to tryout today," Rose insisted.

"Who?"

"Him," Rose said, pointing toward the court.

Alice pretended to search for the guy Rosalie was talking about. "Oh, you mean Emmett? You know, he might have mentioned it Saturday night. In between, you know, all the mooning over you."

Rosalie narrowed her eyes and was about to make a come back when the coach walked up.

"Hey girls," he said, nodding toward them.

"Hey Coach Banner," they responded.

"So Rosalie, what do you think?" he asked.

"Well, I've only been here a few minutes, but it looks like you've got some potential this year." Rosalie smiled at him, but she was still distracted. She couldn't believe that her friends had conspired against her.

The coach nodded. "Yeah, it looks like we'll have a great year, but we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves, right Hale?"

"Right, coach."

"Alright, we gotta wrap up the tryouts so you girls can practice. Catch you later."

As soon as Jasper and Banner left, Rosalie turned to her friends. "I cannot believe you guys would do this to me!"

"Do what?" Bella asked, finally tearing her eyes from Edward.

"Not tell me that _he _was going to be here," she said, nodding toward Emmett.

"Uh, Rose," Bella replied hesitantly, "I hate to break it to you, but you would've had to be here anyway because you have practice."

Rosalie glared at Bella before storming away from her friends. She threw her bag down in the corner and started putting on her basketball shoes. Alice and Bella shared a look before approaching her.

"Look, Rose," Bella said, sitting down next to her. "We weren't sure if he was going to show up or not, and we didn't want you to freak out prematurely or anything. And anyway, there really isn't any reason for you to not like Emmett. He's super nice."

Rosalie sighed. "I still feel like you two set this up or something."

"Well, we might have mentioned how much you like basketball and basketball players," Alice said. "But we did it for you, Rose. Bella's right; Emmett is really nice and I think he's perfect for you."

"You've had like, what? One conversation with him," Rosalie argued. "How could you possibly know if he's perfect for me?"

"Well, I've known him for months, and I agree with Alice," Bella inserted. "And you haven't even had one conversation with him, so how could you know that he's not perfect for you? How could you possibly already hate him?"

"Oh, please Bella," Rosalie answered. "Just look at him."

"Looks can be deceiving, Rosalie."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Bella? You of all people are saying that? All you've done for months is talk about how amazing Edward Cullen is, but have you even spoken to him?" She raised an eyebrow, and Bella looked at the ground. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Your entire attraction to him is because of his looks, so don't tell me not to judge people based on outward appearances."

Bella was silent for a moment before getting up and walking away.

"Rose, seriously?" Alice asked. "You can't just pick on her every time you feel self-conscious. You know she's just shy."

"I was just making an observation," Rose defended herself.

"No, you weren't. You were being mean because you're mad at us, when all we did was inform Emmett of the tryout date. It's not like we set you up on a blind date or something."

"You know what, Alice? I can't deal with this right now. Can you just leave? Go… talk to my brother or something." Rosalie shifted so her back was toward Alice.

Alice stood up. "Okay, fine. Be that way. But make sure you apologize to Bella when you decide you want friends again."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and finished tying her shoes. She started stretching when she heard someone approach.

She turned, then glared. "What do _you _want?"

Emmett ignored her tone. "Hey, Rosalie. Just wanted to say hi."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you want to say hi? We don't even know each other. And there's no reason for you to be here at all."

"Well, there's no reason for you to hate me, but that apparently hasn't stopped you." Emmett smiled and sat down next to her. She moved away. "But I'm okay with that, Rosalie Hale, because I like you. And I like challenges. And I will do whatever it takes to make you stop hating me."

"Well, you're off to a terrible start," Rosalie declared as she got up and walked away.

Emmett watched her and chuckled to himself. At least he had her attention now.


	4. Ch 3: Competition

**Chapter 3 - Competition**

One week. That's how long it would take before the tryout results would be posted. Emmett was becoming more and more anxious with each passing day. The tryout had gone pretty well, all things considered. He hadn't been the best player trying out, but he certainly hadn't been the worst. Edward kept telling him that he was fine, that he definitely made it, but Emmett wasn't so sure. The big guys from the reservation were shoe-ins, and Emmett didn't know how many players the coach was going to accept.

It was Monday morning; the results would be posted after school outside the gym. Emmett was so distracted all day that he didn't even hear Edward speak to him.

"Emmett. Hey, Emmett!"

"Huh? What, Edward?"

"Dude, where are you today?" Edward asked as he put his books in his locker during passing period. "I've never seen you so quiet."

"Oh, I guess I'm just worried about making the team."

Edward smiled; he had been expecting that answer. "Well, there's only one period left, so try to pay attention, okay?"

Emmett nodded. "Sure, sure."

"Oh, and by the way, Rosalie is walking this way."

"What?" Emmett turned his head so quickly he hit Edward's locker door, closing it.

Edward laughed. "Thanks man."

Emmett ignored his friend, rubbing the back of his head. "Where is she?" he asked. "I don't see her."

"It was a joke. I just wanted to see how distracted you were."

Emmett gave Edward a shove. "That's not funny."

"Are you sure?" Edward asked with a smirk. "Because it looked pretty funny to me."

Emmett flipped his friend the bird and starting walking to class. He could hear Edward laughing behind him.

* * *

Rosalie was walking to the gym when she saw a crowd of people outside of Coach Banner's office.

_Oh, right_, she thought. _Tryout results come out today. I wonder if… well, it doesn't matter anyway._ She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She wouldn't let anyone distract her, not even a guy like Emmett McCarty. _No matter how cute he is…_

"Hey Rose!" Jessica Stanley called out, jogging up to her. Jessica was on the basketball team, too.

"Hey Jess."

Jessica strained her neck to look at the crowd. "What's up with that?" she asked, nodding toward the people.

Rosalie shrugged. "I think the guys' tryout results are out."

"Oh, cool! We should go check it out."

"Go ahead," Rosalie said as she plopped her bag down. "I need to stretch."

Jess smiled. "Okay, well I'll let you know who made it!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes at her teammate's enthusiasm. After all, she had no reason to care. Or so she kept telling herself.

* * *

"Yes!" Emmett exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. He looked at to Edward and shouted, "I made the team!"

"Duh, Emmett. I've been telling you all week that there was nothing to worry about."

Emmett shoved him. "Well, excuse me for being excited," he said sarcastically, but he was so happy that he couldn't stop grinning. "Now there's hope for me and Rosalie."

Edward sighed. "I don't think I've ever met someone with such a one-track mind."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't really a compliment, you know."

Emmett shrugged before grinning again. "So? It's all in how you see it, and that's how I decided to see your words. Or is it 'hear your words?'" Emmett paused for a second before shrugging at the grammatical conundrum. "Anyway, nothing can bring me down today, not even your pathetic insults."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "You're calling _me _pathetic? Who joined the basketball team because of a girl?"

"At least I have a girl."

"You do not."

"Well, almost. I mean, we're practically dating now that I'm on the team."

Edward hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Do you really know so little about the girl of your dreams? To win her heart, you'll first have to thaw it out. And who knows what's under all that ice."

"Hey, don't talk about her that way."

Edward held his hands up. "Whoa, calm down. I didn't mean anything by it. But maybe you should try to take this slowly. I mean, you still have to deal with Jasper anyway."

Emmett shrugged, unfazed. "Jasper's cool."

"Yeah, at practice, when his sister's virtue isn't being threatened."

Emmett raised an eyebrow at that comment.

"I'm not saying she's a virgin," Edward clarified. "In fact, I don't know one way or the other, nor do I particularly care. But I do know that Jasper thinks she's pure as the driven snow, and he definitely wants to keep it that way. The quickest way to make him your enemy is to touch his sister, with or without her consent."

Emmett shrugged again. "Well, he'll have to get over it eventually."

Edward just shook his head. "You know what, let's just go eat. Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall."

"Well, red is my favorite color."

Edward rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Okay, so he added four guys to the roster," Jessica said as she sat down next to Rosalie a few minutes later, "and I saw some of them outside and they are _huge_!"

Rosalie felt her heart speed up. Did that mean _he _made it?

"Those three guys from the reservation made it - Quil Ateara, Embry Call, and that other guy."

"Jacob Black," Rosalie supplied.

"Yeah, him. He's cute. And _big_. Him and Quil are like giants!"

"Hey, I thought transfers had to play JV the first year," said Angela Weber, another girl on the team who had come in while Jess was checking the list.

"They made an exception this year," Rosalie explained, "because their school closed due to budget cuts."

"Oh, that makes sense," Angela replied. "Did anyone else make the team?"

"Yeah, and you'll never guess who." Jessica didn't wait for any responses. "Emmett McCarty. You know, the really good football player."

"Ooo, he's cute," Lauren Mallory input as she walked up. "I didn't know he plays basketball."

"He doesn't," Rosalie muttered under her breath.

"What?" Jessica asked.

"Nothing."

"Well, you said _something_," Lauren insisted.

Rosalie sighed. "I said, he didn't play basketball. At least, not until this year."

"So he just randomly decided to try out. That's weird," Jessica commented.

"I'm sure he has a reason," Angela said.

"Obviously," Lauren said, rolling her eyes. "He probably just wanted to stay in shape during off-season."

"Well, the boys have practice after us today, so why don't you just ask him?" Rosalie asked, growing annoyed with all the speculation concerning the one boy she wanted to forget.

"I will," Lauren replied smugly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Like I said, he's cute."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, but was surprised by how much Lauren's words bothered her. After all, she didn't care if Lauren flirted with Emmett, right?

* * *

Emmett was excited. He was so excited that he showed up to practice thirty minutes early and was pleasantly surprised when he realized that the girls practice right before the boys.

They were scrimmaging when he walked in, and Emmett was shocked that certain girls, namely Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley, actually played a sport, much less were good at it. Both of them had flirted with him before, and they didn't really strike him as the athletic type. They didn't seem strong, although he could see now that they were, in contrast to Rosalie, whose power could be sensed a hundred miles away.

Ah, Rosalie. There she was now, getting a rebound. Emmett smiled as he watched her play. She was good, better than he could have ever imagined, and he had never seen her look so happy before. Or so… passionate.

"You're here early."

"Ah!" Emmett jumped, startled by the sudden interruption into his thoughts.

Jasper lifted an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," Emmett said, trying unsuccessfully to play it off.

"You're here early," Jasper repeated after an awkward moment of silence.

"Yeah, I guess. Didn't want to be late the first day."

Jasper smiled. "You'd be surprised how many times that's happened. In fact, last year, one of the captains was late the first day. Didn't even have a good excuse."

"What happens when you're late?"

"You run. If you're really late, you run a lot. Usually the captains will run with you, supporting their teammates and all that. So don't be late, dude, 'cause I don't want to have to run because of you."

Emmett laughed warily. "Don't worry, I won't be late. And besides, it's kinda nice to be able to watch the girls practice for a bit."

Jasper turned toward the court. "Yeah, I guess, but they don't always practice before us. Sometimes we have the early practice. It depends on the day."

Emmett nodded. The conversation paused as both guys put on their shoes and more of the team showed up. The girls just finished practice when the coach showed up.

"Start shooting around," Coach Banner said as he threw the basketball bag to the ground. "I'll be right back." He jogged over to the girls' coach.

Emmett picked up one of the balls that had rolled out of the bag. He was about to shoot it when he heard an annoyingly female voice behind him.

"Hi, Emmett."

He turned. It was Lauren Mallory. He internally rolled his eyes, but outwardly he gave her a tight-lipped smile. There was no reason to be rude, but he certainly didn't want to encourage her.

"I didn't know you played basketball."

Emmett shrugged. "Well, I do."

"I think that's so great." She smiled obnoxiously up at him. "You're, like, _so _athletic. I bet you'll lead us to a state championship this year."

"Yeah, well, first I have to get through this practice so if you don't mind…"

"Oh, of course, get back to warming up." She started walked away, but called out over her shoulder, "Good luck on your first day!"

A couple of the guys close by sniggered, and Emmett didn't blame them. He could feel his facing turning red, and he wasn't embarrassed easily.

"Aw, how cute," Edward said, clasping a hand on his shoulder. "Just like a mommy waving to a kindergartener on the first day of school."

"Shut up," Emmett said as he pushed Edward's hand off. He shot the ball, missed, and headed for the rebound.

"What happened to your plans with Rosalie?" Edward asked, following his friend.

"Nothing. They're still on."

"Well, you may have to adjust them to accommodate Miss Mallory over there. Because believe me, my friend, Lauren does not take no for an answer."

"I'm beginning to realize," Emmett muttered, but he was distracted when Jasper organized the team into lay-up lines for warm-up. The first practice was starting, and Emmett had to work hard if he was going to impress his girl.


	5. Ch 4: Arguments

**Chapter 4 – Arguments**

Rosalie was having a very stressful week. It seemed as if all of her teachers had conspired to assign important projects at the same time. Add that to the pressure of a new basketball season, and no one could really blame her for being more impatient than usual.

She had been looking forward to just relaxing Friday night with the girls, but her parents had called her into the family room for an important discussion, and now her week was even crappier, if possible. Her parents always knew how to make things worse.

Rosalie stormed off to her room, and was in quite the mood when Alice walked in.

"Hey, Rose," Alice greeted. She paused when she noticed the look on her friend's face. "What's wrong?"

Rosalie took a deep, calming breath. "Nothing. It's just been a terrible week."

"We should go shopping tomorrow," Alice suggested. "That always makes me feel better."

"Well, I'm not you and I hate shopping," Rosalie replied sharply.

"Hey guys," Bella said as she entered the room.

"You're late."

Bella flinched, startled by Rosalie's tone. "Oh, sorry. I had to feed Charlie tonight."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's just go watch the movie."

Unfortunately, the family room was already occupied. Rosalie, however, simply marched in front of the TV and commanded, "Get out."

"Hey!" Jasper protested. "We're watching the game."

Rosalie glared at her brother, and then at his two friends. "I don't care. We're going to watch a movie, so you guys need to leave now."

"Rose, we can't just kick them out," Bella whispered. "They were here first."

"Yeah," Alice agreed. "That's not fair."

"You guys are welcome to watch the game with us," Edward offered, trying to smooth over the situation.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Like we would want to watch some dumb game with you guys."

"I don't mind," Bella said quietly, blushing and glancing surreptitiously at Edward. Alice nodded in agreement.

Rosalie glared. "Bella, you're just saying that because Edward's here. Same with you, Alice. Pretending to be interested in sports won't make my brother like you. You two are pathetic." She turned to Jasper. "And I told you yesterday that we were going to be watching a movie tonight. That means we get the TV, and you guys have to leave."

"Rosalie, come on," Jasper said. "Be reasonable. We can all watch something together."

"Be reasonable? Oh please, Jasper. You can't always get your way. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices, too."

"What are you talking about?"

"Like you don't already know."

"No, really Rose," Jasper insisted. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what? It's nothing. Don't even worry about it. I mean, it doesn't directly affect your life, so why would you care?"

And with that, Rosalie stormed up to her room for the second time that day. Jasper apologized and then ran after her.

The other four sat in silence for a moment before Bella's embarrassment overwhelmed her and she fled.

"Bella, wait!" Alice called as she followed her friend.

Edward and Emmett looked at each other, feeling awkward.

"Well," Edward said, breaking the silence. "That was interesting."

* * *

"What the hell was that about?" Jasper asked as he walked into his sister's room. Rosalie was face down on her bed, her head buried in her pillow. She sat up as Jasper entered the room, quickly wiping her cheeks, but Jasper could still see the evidence of tears on her face. "Hey, now," he said as he sat next to her, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Rose, come on," he coaxed. "Talk to me."

"I'm just sick of you always hogging the TV." She wouldn't look him in the eye.

Jasper sighed. "Rosalie, we both know that that little blow up downstairs had nothing to do with the TV. I'm sorry I forgot about your plans tonight, but you didn't even give us a chance to move before you started screaming. What's really going on?"

Rosalie sighed before dropping her head into her hands. She was just so tired, and she felt like crying again. She took a deep breath. "Mom and Dad told me this afternoon that they basically can't afford to send me to college."

"What are you talking about?" This was the first time Jasper had heard of this.

"Mom is already trying to get a job to help supplement Dad's income because of the recession. Unless I get a scholarship somewhere, I'm stuck in Forks until I can pay my own way."

"Why haven't they said anything to me?"

"Probably because they plan to pay for your education."

Jasper stood up. "That's ridiculous! They can't seriously think they can get away with only paying for one of us."

Rosalie smiled at his outrage on her behalf. "They already made up their minds, Jazz."

"I can't believe that they would do this to you!"

"Can't you?" Rose asked with a sad smile. "They paid for you to be on a club basketball team but not me. They sent you to SAT classes, but not me. You're their pride and joy."

"Rose, I'm so sorry." He sat next to his sister again and put his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I know, Jazz. It's not your fault. It's just a lot of added pressure for basketball and everything. And I'm gonna have to work during the school year, too, to try and save up some extra money."

"Well, I'll try to find a job, too," Jasper decided. "This shouldn't all fall on your shoulders."

She smiled up at him. "Thanks. And I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have freaked out like I did."

"It's okay."

Rosalie closed her eyes for a second, just feeling Jasper's support, when a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Shit!"

"What?" Jasper asked as she rapidly stood up.

Rose turned to face her brother. "Are Bella and Alice still here? I definitely need to apologize to them."

Jasper shrugged. "I'm not sure. I think they were still here when I followed you up here. And speaking of Alice, what exactly did you mean by all that?"

Rosalie groaned. "Well, there's no point in trying to keep it a secret now. Alice kinda likes you. She has for a while now."

Jasper's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked incredulously.

"Yup," Rosalie affirmed. "In fact, you should ask her out."

"I never would have guessed," Jasper said quietly to himself. He looked up at his sister. "She's never said anything to me."

"Well, you haven't exactly seemed open to that sort of relationship, although I think she had some master plan to get your attention after season."

"Interesting."

"Look, Jazz, I don't care if you ask her out or not, just don't hurt her. She's liked you for a long time."

"How do you know she won't be the one to hurt me?"

Rosalie smirked. "I don't, but I have my loyalties."

"Hey!" Jasper protested. "I'm your twin brother! Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Nope." Rosalie grinned.

The twins walked downstairs together, the serious mood broken.

* * *

"Bella! Wait up!" Alice shouted as she ran down the front steps. She jumped in Bella's truck before the other girl had a chance to drive away. Tears streamed down Bella's face as she slumped in defeat.

"Please just leave me alone, Alice" Bella pleaded. "I want to go home and forget that this whole night ever happened." Bella moaned and put her hands over her face. "I'm so embarrassed!"

"Sweetie," Alice said, placing a comforting hand on Bella's arm, "Rosalie didn't mean to say those things. She was probably just upset about something else."

"That's no excuse, Alice!" Bella was furious at her friend. "She humiliated me in front of Edward for no reason after she _promised_ she would never say anything. And this isn't the first time she's done something like this. I just can't deal with it anymore. And I can't believe that you're defending her! She humiliated you, too."

Alice pulled Bella into a hug. "I know, but maybe it's all for the best. At least now we know that the guys know for sure how we feel."

"Of course you're fine with it," Bella exclaimed. "Knowing you, Jasper has probably been secretly in love with you for years. But Edward – he didn't even know I existed! And now I have no chance. Now, I'm just the creepy girl with a crush on him!"

"Bella, I think you're being a little melodramatic."

Bella started laughing, but there was no humor in her eyes. "You're calling _me_ melodramatic?"

"You're overreacting," Alice continued. "Everything will be fine. By Monday morning, Edward will probably have forgotten the whole thing."

"Great!" Bella exclaimed, throwing up her arms. "I'm not even important enough for him to remember my humiliation!"

"Okay, now you're just being completely ridiculous."

Bella and Alice looked at each other for a moment before both girls started cracking up at the absurdity of the whole situation.

Bella took a deep breath. "Movie night at my house?"

Alice was about to answer when a knock on the window caused them both to jump.

Rosalie was standing outside the car, looking contrite. Bella reluctantly rolled down the window. The two girls stared expectantly at their friend.

"Hey, I'm glad you're still here." Rose took a deep breathe. Apologies did not come easily to her, but she knew she had to make things right. "I'm really sorry. I was way out of line bringing you guys into that mess. There's no excuse for what I did, but I hope you can forgive me anyway. It's just that tonight my parents basically told me that if I don't get a basketball scholarship, I can't go to college."

Alice and Bella looked at each other.

"Rose," Bella started, "you really hurt me tonight. I normally don't mind when you tease me, but you were out of line to say that in front of Edward."

"I know, Bella," Rose said miserably, "and I am so sorry about that. I wish there were something I could do to make it up to you."

Bella shook her head. "We both know I'll forgive you eventually, but right now I think I just need to be mad at you."

Rosalie nodded, then turned her gaze to Alice.

Alice sighed. "I can't stay mad at you either, but you crossed some major boundaries tonight, Rose. How are we supposed to trust you when you go blabbing our secrets to the very people we don't want to know?"

"I know." Rosalie sighed again. "If I could go back in time and fix this, I would. But for now, maybe we could still have our movie night?"

"I don't know if I can face Edward right now," Bella said.

"Or if I can face Jasper," Alice added.

Rosalie nodded miserably, backing away from the car.

"But maybe we could hang out at my house," offered Bella.

"And you can tell us about what your parents' said," Alice continued.

The girls shared tentative smiles.

Although the movie night did not go as planned, in the end they enjoyed watching _The Lost Boys_ at Bella's house, and the guys spent the rest of the night trying to focus on the game, but all were distracted.


End file.
